Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is a 2016 American superhero film featuring the DC Comics characters Batman and Superman. Directed by Zack Snyder, the film is the second installment in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), following 2013's Man of Steel.4 It was written by Chris Terrio and David S. Goyer, and features an ensemble cast that includes Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Jeremy Irons, Holly Hunter, and Gal Gadot. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is the first live-action film to feature Batman and Superman together, as well as the first live-action cinematic portrayal of Wonder Woman. In the film, criminal mastermind Lex Luthor (Eisenberg) manipulates Batman (Affleck) into a preemptive battle with Superman (Cavill), who Luthor is obsessed with defeating. Plot Eighteen months after the battle between Superman and General Zod in Metropolis,1 Superman has become a controversial figure. Billionaire Bruce Wayne, who has operated in Gotham City as the vigilante Batman for twenty years, sees Superman as an extraterrestrial threat to humanity. After learning of Batman's form of justice, Clark Kent (Superman's civilian identity) seeks to expose him via Daily Planet articles. Wayne learns that Russian weapon trafficker Anatoli Knyazev has been contacting LexCorp mogul Lex Luthor. Meanwhile, Luthor unsuccessfully tries to persuade Senator June Finch to allow him to import kryptonite retrieved from the Indian Ocean following Zod's terraforming attempt, claiming he wants to maintain it as a "deterrent" against future Kryptonian and metahuman threats. He instead makes alternative plans with Finch's subordinate and gains access to Zod's body and the Kryptonian scout ship. Bruce attends a gala at LexCorp to steal encrypted data from the company's mainframe, but has it taken from him by an antiquities dealer named Diana Prince; she eventually returns it to Bruce when she is unable to access the information. While decrypting the drive, Bruce dreams of a post-apocalyptic world where he leads a group of rebels against an evil Superman. He is awakened from his dream by an unidentified person, appearing through a portal, who warns him of Lois Lane's crucial role in the future, and urges him to find "the others" before vanishing.2 Upon fully decrypting the drive, Wayne discovers Luthor's files on several metahuman individuals across the globe. One of them is Prince herself, who is shown in a photo taken during World War I. Wayne admits to Alfred Pennyworth that he plans to steal the kryptonite to weaponize it, should it become necessary to fight Superman. At a Congressional hearing, as Finch questions Superman on the validity of his actions, a bomb smuggled by Luthor goes off and kills everyone present but Superman. Believing he should have detected the bomb, and frustrated by his failure to save them, Superman goes into self-imposed exile. Batman breaks into LexCorp and steals the kryptonite. In preparation to battle Superman, he builds a powered exoskeleton, creates a kryptonite grenade launcher, and a kryptonite-tipped spear. Meanwhile, Luthor enters the Kryptonian ship and accesses a vast technology database accumulated from over 100,000 worlds. To bring Superman out of exile, Luthor kidnaps Lois and Martha Kent, Clark's adoptive mother. He reveals to Superman that he manipulated Superman and Batman by fueling their distrust for each other. Luthor demands that Superman kill Batman in exchange for Martha's life. Superman tries to explain the situation to Batman, but instead Batman attacks Superman and eventually subdues him with the aid of a kryptonite gas. Before Batman can kill Superman with the spear, Superman urges Batman to "save Martha", whose name is also shared with Batman's mother, confusing him long enough for Lois to arrive and explain what Superman meant. Realizing how far he has fallen and unwilling to let an innocent die, Batman rescues Martha, while Superman confronts Luthor on the scout ship. Luthor executes his backup plan, unleashing a genetically engineered monster with DNA from both Zod's body and his own blood.3 Diana Prince arrives unexpectedly; revealing her metahuman nature, she joins forces with Batman and Superman to eliminate the creature. When they are all outmatched, Superman realizes its vulnerability to kryptonite, and retrieves the spear to kill it. In the creature's last moments, it kills Superman, himself weakened by exposure to kryptonite. Luthor is arrested and Batman confronts him in prison, warning Luthor that he will always be watching him. Luthor gloats that Superman's death has made the world vulnerable to powerful alien threats. A memorial is held for Superman in Metropolis. Clark is also declared dead, with various friends and family members including Bruce Wayne and Diana Prince attending his funeral in Smallville. Martha gives an envelope to Lois, which contains an engagement ring from Clark. After the funeral, Bruce expresses his regrets to Diana about how he failed Superman. He reveals to her that he plans to form a team of metahumans, starting with those from Luthor's files, to help protect the world in Superman's absence. After they leave, the dirt atop Clark's coffin levitates. Cast * Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne/Batman ** Brandon Spink as young Bruce Wayne * Henry Cavill as Kal-El/Clark Kent/Superman * Amy Adams as Lois Lane * Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor * Diane Lane as Martha Kent * Laurence Fishburne as Perry White * Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth * Holly Hunter as Senator June Finch * Gal Gadot as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman * Scoot McNairy as Wallace Keefe * Callan Mulvey as Anatoli Knyazev * Tao Okamoto as Mercy Graves * Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Thomas Wayne * Lauren Cohan as Martha Wayne * Hugh Maguire as Jack O'Dwyer * Michael Shannon as General Zod * Sammi Rotibi as General Amajagh * Michael Cassidy as Jimmy Olsen * Wunmi Mosaku as Kahina Ziri * Dennis North as Senator Barrows * Kiff VandenHeuvel as Officer Mazzuccheli * Mason Heidger as Officer Mike Rucka * Sebastian Sozzi as Cesar Santos * Ralph Lister as Emmet Vale * Rebecca Buller as Jenny Jurwich * Harry Lennix as Secretary of Defense Calvin Swanwick * Christina Wren as Carrie Farris * Chad Krowchuk as Glen Woodburn * Ezra Miller as Barry Allen/Flash * Patrick Leahy as Senator Purrington * Jason Momoa as Orin/Arthur Curry/Aquaman * Joe Morton as Silas Stone * Ray Fisher as Victor Stone/Cyborg * Coburn Goss as Father Daniel Leone * Joseph Cranford as Pete Ross * Emily Peterson as Lana Lang * Robin Atkin Downes as Doomsday * Kevin Costner as Jonathan Kent Gallery Trivia * This is the first live-action theatrical film to feature Batman and Superman in the same film. * This is Zack Snyder's fifth film with Warner Brothers, the others being 300 (2006), Watchmen (2009), Sucker Punch (2011), and Man of Steel (2013). * Gal Gadot is the first non-American actress to play Diana Prince/Wonder Woman. She is also the first actress to perform the role in theatrical films. * First live-action film that includes Batman to not be released in the summer. * The film's subtitle is a reference to the Justice League. * The first cut had a runtime of about 4 hours. * Gal Gadot has sixteen lines in the film. She is given one or two more lines in the extended cut. * Superman only had 42 lines of dialogue throughout the entire movie. * This was the eleventh time Batman has been portrayed since 1943. Superman, on the other hand, has been portrayed sixteen times since 1939. Category:Superman Films Category:Batman Films Category:DC Category:DC Extended Universe Category:2016